I wonder if that performance is really indicative of what he's capable of. I mean, 62:xx is okay, he was competitive, but it's really not great, and though Lagat has always been a 1500m man I still expected more from him, 60:xx or 61:xx or at least a higher placing. Perhaps he had a bad day, or perhaps 5k is truly his limit for grand performances. I'd still be interested to see him run another one or better yet a 10k on the track (I think he mentioned a while ago he'd like to run one sometime).

Good on Ritz for hanging tough and being so close to the winner. The half marathon appears to be his best distance given his consistency at it. Maybe he should focus on half marathons while on the roads. He always runs better in them than the fulls.

I think Lagat realized early on that he had zero chance against Wilson Kipsang (a 58min HM runner, after all) and went for the no-risk option, just bringing it home. The appearance fee is, after all, the big chunk, not the prize money.

That said, I doubt that he will run a fall Marathon (NYC really being his only option)

I wonder if that performance is really indicative of what he's capable of. I mean, 62:xx is okay, he was competitive, but it's really not great, and though Lagat has always been a 1500m man I still expected more from him, 60:xx or 61:xx or at least a higher placing. Perhaps he had a bad day, or perhaps 5k is truly his limit for grand performances. I'd still be interested to see him run another one or better yet a 10k on the track (I think he mentioned a while ago he'd like to run one sometime).

Good on Ritz for hanging tough and being so close to the winner. The half marathon appears to be his best distance given his consistency at it. Maybe he should focus on half marathons while on the roads. He always runs better in them than the fulls.

Ummmmmmm... He's 38. This is a great time for 38!! And...he is moving WAY up from his 5k competitive distance. Cut him some slack

I wonder if that performance is really indicative of what he's capable of. I mean, 62:xx is okay, he was competitive, but it's really not great, and though Lagat has always been a 1500m man I still expected more from him, 60:xx or 61:xx or at least a higher placing. Perhaps he had a bad day, or perhaps 5k is truly his limit for grand performances. I'd still be interested to see him run another one or better yet a 10k on the track (I think he mentioned a while ago he'd like to run one sometime).

Good on Ritz for hanging tough and being so close to the winner. The half marathon appears to be his best distance given his consistency at it. Maybe he should focus on half marathons while on the roads. He always runs better in them than the fulls.

Ummmmmmm... He's 38. This is a great time for 38!! And...he is moving WAY up from his 5k competitive distance. Cut him some slack

AND it's his first half! You peeps are treating him like he's already washed up or not cut out for the half. Give the man a break.

Even though I like Ritz's one marathon per year approach right now, and his PR came off of a successful Olympic track season, it's almost a shame he's not prepared for and running Boston with Hall out. His track PRs came off of his London performance, with a great aerobic threshold buildup to that race and then steady sharpening into track. Theoretically, Ritz could've run Boston, recovered to run track in the late summer and then another short build-up to Chicago. Still, great run, and I hope he can get his sub-27:00 10,000 and maintain his 3:00 per kilo pace in Chicago that he ran last year for most of the race.

Pretty disappointing debut. The race was set up for him to run really well, slow and tactical through Central Park. When Mo Farah debuted he was around 60-min, I think Geb was under 1hr and remember Geb was the Gold Medalist over 1500m(i) so similar background.

I am sure Lagat is disappointed. Knowing him, he probably thought he could dust everyone. But he was also misled.. him thinking he was fit by dropping a past-his-prime Abdi obviously meant nothing as Abdi ran 63-min.

At least no other race in the US is going to dish out $$ to lure Lagat with a 62-min Half. There are half a dozen other Americans faster and worth the spend. Lagat just didn't capitalize.